New Delhi: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized around 13,000 e-cigarettes valued at more than Rs 4 crore at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), also known as Nhava Sheva Port, in Mumbai, as part of its ongoing crackdown on illicit trade.
According to the Finance Ministry, DRI has seized approximately 3.55 lakh e-cigarettes worth more than Rs 135 crore across various ports, airports and Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi and West Bengal during the ongoing financial year 2026-27.
The seizure is part of the agency's intensified enforcement against the illegal import and trade of electronic cigarettes. The import, manufacture, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of e-cigarettes and other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) are prohibited in India under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019.
In a separate operation, DRI officers have busted a foreign currency smuggling syndicate at Kolkata airport and arrested seven passengers attempting to illegally take foreign currency out of the country.
Acting on specific intelligence, officers intercepted seven passengers travelling to Bangkok in the early hours of November 6. Searches of the passengers, their hand baggage and checked-in luggage led to the recovery of foreign currencies, including US dollars and British pounds, collectively valued at approximately Rs 3.12 crore.
The currency had been concealed using sophisticated methods, including hidden compartments in notebooks, trolley bags and shoes. Some of the foreign currency was also concealed in clothing packed inside checked-in baggage and in different sections of hand and checked-in luggage.
The passengers failed to produce documents establishing the ownership or lawful possession of the seized currency. All seven members of the syndicate were arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle foreign currency out of India in violation of the Customs Act and applicable FEMA regulations.
In another operation targeting illicit drug trafficking, DRI officers intercepted a passenger travelling by bus from Delhi to Bhopal on November 5, 2026. A search of the passenger's luggage resulted in the recovery of three silver-coloured plastic packets containing a crystalline white substance weighing 6.642 kg.
Separately, DRI officers foiled an alleged wildlife trafficking attempt in Assam and seized two elephant tusks measuring 29 inches and 30 inches, with a combined weight of approximately 3.7 kg.
Commercial trade in elephant tusks is prohibited under Indian law.
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